Hurricane forecasting team names more storms, hurricanes

FORT COLLINS — Developing El Nio conditions in the central and eastern Pacific have led the hurricane forecast team at Colorado State University to continue to call for below-average activity for the remainder of the 2006 Atlantic basin hurricane season.

The forecasting team of Philip Klotzbach and William Gray released a new report that calls for two more named storms, one more hurricane and no more intense or major hurricanes for the remainder of the hurricane season — October to November.

With the observed activity through September 2006 of nine named storms, five hurricanes and two major hurricanes, a total of 11 named storms are predicted to form in the Atlantic basin during 2006 with six of these predicted to become hurricanes. Two major hurricanes with sustained winds of 111 mph or greater have already formed, and the forecast team does not expect any more major hurricane formations this year.

The long-term average for the entire Atlantic basin hurricane season is 9.6 named storms, 5.9 hurricanes and 2.3 intense hurricanes per year.